Requiem for Alarette
by HlysComment
Summary: A follow up to A Captive Conversation. The Wraith have been defeated and Rodney returns to Alarette's homeworld to pay his respects.


Title: Requiem for Alarette

Author's Note: This is a reply to a review request. Someone asked for a post-Wraith defeat catharsis of some sort in which Rodney returns to Alarette's home world to pay respects etc. This is what I came up with.

Featured Characters: Rodney McKay

Other Characters Include: John Sheppard, Teyla Emmagen, & Ronon Dex.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Stargate Franchise. I have no rights whatsoever and am just writing this for the fun of it. This is for grins and giggles not for gold. So, please don't smack me with the backhand of the US Civil court system.

* * *

The streets of Ardeen are filled with well wishers. Men, women and children stand along the sidelines to catch a glimpse of the Lantians and wish them well. It's been a month since the great, final battle and word of the defeat of the Wraith has spread throughout the galaxy. When the Lantians contacted the Ardeen people and asked for a personal favor, the Ardeens quickly replied it would be an honor to accommodate them.

A group met Colonel Sheppard and his team at the gate and escorted them through the cheering crowds in the town. Rodney was uncomfortable. He hadn't thought of this as a celebratory visit, more of a cathartic release. He felt trapped somehow. Like he'd run out to get the mail in his boxers and bathrobe and locked himself out of the house to the amusement of the neighborhood. He wished, yet again, that Jennifer could be here. However, even a month later, the infirmary still teamed with those requiring her attention and Rodney was afraid that if he put off this visit, even once, he'd never muster up the courage.

John could see the tension in his friends face and leaning in yelled over the crowd. "Its okay, Rodney. You can't blame them for being a little excited that we won."

"I know. I know." Rodney yelled back but he was thinking.

_I can be angry at them for not seeming to care who we lost._

It seemed to take ages to get to where they were going, which to Rodney's horror turned out to be some kind of platform fully equipped with well dressed dignitaries. As they reached what Rodney assumed was the town square and approached the podium a middle aged man wearing a garishly bright costume began to address the crowd.

"Ardeens! Ardeens! Silence please!" He shouted and the raucous cheers of the crowd stilled to an excited buzzing. "Thank you. We gather here today to welcome the great heroes of our time. The Lantians!" This exclamation was followed by another period of loud cheering from the crowd. Rodney wanted to find a hole, Teyla smiled pleasantly but was clearly uncomfortable with the attention, Ronon was, well, Ronon was Ronon but Sheppard. Sheppard was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"We are grateful for all the times our friends have warned us of danger and helped us to escape the Wraith's attack. We are grateful for the help they have provided when disease struck. But we are most grateful for their greatest accomplishment and gift, the utter and complete ruin of the bane of all our worlds and lands, the destruction of the Wraith!"

The crowd exploded now into decibels usually reserved for boy band concerts. Rodney surreptitiously placed a finger in the ear closest to the source of the noise.

"The Lantians do us much honor by their visit. The great warrior McKay, one of the heroes of our galaxy, has come to pay respect to one of us. An Ardeen! We welcome him now to share his wisdom with us."

Sheppard had guffawed at the dignitary's pronouncement that Rodney was a "great warrior" and even Teyla could not repress a smile at the man's effusive language. Rodney felt sick. He had imagined placing flowers on a grave marker of some kind, of speaking privately to Alarette's parents. Not 76 bloody trombones. He swallowed thickly but made his way up the rickety stairs of the makeshift stage.

He stood frozen, facing the crowd for a long moment. Finally, he found his voice.

"Hello. I'm Dr. Rodney McKay."

"Louder Rodney, they can't all hear you." Sheppard suggested helpfully.

"Yes, thank you." Rodney said quietly in Sheppard's direction. The Colonel's only reply was to smirk up at him.

"I came here today because of a person. A girl I met who was," Rodney felt his throat catch, "who was very brave."

Rodney looked out at the crowd, wondering if Alarette's parents were out there somewhere.

"She was in an impossible, a terrible situation. She was dying but she told me she believed. She made me promise to never give up. And every time I got discouraged, every time I wanted to give up I remembered that brave girl and how she never stopped believing that the Wraith could be stopped and that we were the ones that could stop them."

Rodney started to say more but the crowd erupted into cheers and screams again. He was surprised by the response and had to wait a minute to let it die down.

"I just came here today because I wanted Alarette's parents, her friends, her family and her people to know how incredible she was. How brave she was. I guess a part of me wanted to say to someone that I did what she told me to do." and now Rodney found tears in his eyes and a croak in his voice. "I just wanted to stand up and tell them that it's over and that she was a part of it. She was a really important person to me and I barely knew her."

The crowd didn't cheer now but they smiled sadly and some of them cried in sympathy for Rodney and for Alarette and her family.

Rodney suddenly remembered an ancient toast and even though there were no glasses to raise, he raised his fist in the air.

"To the victorious dead!" He yelled and watched in awe as the crowd lifted their arms in unison; A silent testament to one young girl's courage.

After the speeches were finished, the gifts given and received, the feast devoured and most of the townspeople had ventured home Rodney stood off to one side of the remainin hubbub reflecting on how different things always seemed to be when compared to what you imagine.

"Dr. McKay?" a timid voice said behind him.

"Yes?" He answered and turned to face the intruder.

"I apologize for disturbing you. I wanted to meet you, um, I am Atruya. I am Alarette's brother." The voice belonged to a boy barely in his teens, fourteen years old at the most.

"Oh! Hi! Hello! It's uh," Rodney reached out and started pumping the youngsters hand enthusiastically, "it's very nice to meet you."

The boy smiled. "Thank you. Thank you very much for what you said, about Alarette."

"I meant it. Your sister was very brave. She died because I wouldn't tell them," Rodney struggled to get out the confession, "because I wouldn't tell them where Atlantis was. She didn't, I mean, she wasn't angry or scared. She was very peaceful and she made me promise that I would defeat the Wraith. That we would wipe them out."

Atruya nodded sadly, "And you did. You honor her. You gave her life meaning."

Rodney smiled at the boy, "No, no I didn't. _She_ gave her life meaning. I just helped make sure her death hadn't been in vain."

The End


End file.
